AHIP CEO: Gilead asking for 'blank check' with Sovaldi

Karen Ignagni, president and CEO of America's Health Insurance Plans (AHIP), said Gilead Sciences Inc. (NASDAQ:GILD) "is asking for a blank check" with its pricing of HCV drug Sovaldi sofosbuvir, which has a wholesale acquisition cost (WAC) of $84,000 for a 12-week course. Ignagni said "manufacturers are charging whatever they can get away with," but added that "we can't give anyone anymore a blank check in the health system." Her comments came during a speech at a Express Scripts Holding Co. (NASDAQ:ESRX).

In a separate blog post, AHIP said Gilead priced Sovaldi at an "astronomical level that is not sustainable for consumers, innovation, or society." The group -- which represents private health insurers -- noted that Sovaldi is typically prescribed with other treatments that can bring the cost of a course of therapy to $150,000. ...